Projecting the Flyers as a playoff team for 2026-27 — if the rebuild works

The Philadelphia Flyers are in a rebuild. They’ve used the word repeatedly in public, they’re beginning to make the moves — namely, the Ivan Provorov trade — to back up their promises and fans have largely embraced the organizational pivot.

One problem, however? Rebuilds take time. And in the here and now, it can be quite painful for fans to watch a club for years without any real hope of title contention. The light at the end of the tunnel is what keeps them from total demoralization — the idea that brighter days are ahead, even while it remains an open question whether those days will actually come.

So with July winding down, let’s be optimists and have some fun, via a very specific thought experiment: What might the Flyers look like if their rebuild does indeed work?

The drafting of Matvei Michkov in June set a very clear target for the “end” of the rebuild, or at least when the team might be ready to pivot back to relevancy: 2026-27. It’s the first year after Michkov’s current KHL contract expires, and when he’ll (hopefully for the Flyers) be able to come to North America. By then, current GM Daniel Briere has ideally constructed a club ready to take the leap upon Michkov’s arrival, so that he can push them over the top and turn the Flyers back into The Flyers in the eyes of fans and the league at large.

But is that even possible to pull off? It won’t be easy. But yes, given the right draft picks, proper prospect development, shrewd contract negotiations and a solid helping of good luck, the Flyers could theoretically be ready for a breakthrough as soon as 2026 without needing to completely bottom out and tank in the process. Rebuilds don’t have to take forever.

So let’s use our imaginations and conjure up what something of a best-case (and totally fictional) scenario for their planned rebuild might resemble, assuming that the NHL salary cap does indeed easily clear $90 million (as expected) come the 2026-27 season.

Disclaimer: All of the yet-to-be-completed moves in this piece are completely made up. This piece is meant to be a fun and optimistic look at a plausible future, and not a prediction of what will actually happen. Do not blame me if the Flyers are still terrible come 2026. Thanks.

Michkov finally makes it to Philadelphia. And he’s bringing help with him.

After patiently avoiding the high-end of the UFA market for three consecutive summers, Briere finally decides — with Michkov signed and ready to make his NHL debut — it’s time to get aggressive. Frustrated with Minnesota’s continued inability to break through their first-round-and-out mediocrity, Kirill Kaprizov is ready to relocate when his contract expires in the summer of 2026, and he’s intrigued by the idea of pairing with the next Russian superstar. Briere opens the checkbook, luring Kaprizov with a seven-year, $84 million contract offer and giving Michkov a mentor from his home country to help ease the transition.

As…